Friday, December 13, 2013

Tempest's Course by Lynette Sowell

Kelly
Frost is a textile conservator. She's been invited to a Massachusetts
coastal town to restore a 150-year-old Mariner's Compass quilt. But
there is a catch. She has to stay in the old empty house where the
quilt is stored. It is an old whaling captain's home that has been
empty for half a century.

Kelly
takes the job because she's afraid she'll get no other. She's made a
terrible mistake and has been shut out of many avenues of her work,
especially museums.

Tom
Silva has been hired to be caretaker and restore the house's
extensive grounds. He is dealing with the lingering effects of an
accident while in the military and is having a difficult time
adjusting to the change in his life.

This
novel is a pretty good romance centering around the restoration of an
old quilt that has been damaged by neglect and misuse. There is a
great deal of tension between Kelly and Tom and there comes a point
in the novel where it seems it would be impossible for the two to get
together, even though they were made for each other. Both of them
have issues. Kelly is a cast off child, being raised in foster homes.
Tom has never been able to live up to his parents' expectations.

Kelly
finds a journal in the house that helps reveal the story of the
original home owners. It was interesting to read the parallels in the
plot structure, the history of the whaling captain's wife and Kelly's
own past experience.

It
was interesting to learn a bit about quilt restoration. I wish there
had been more detail. While I appreciated the novel's characters, I
didn't like Kelly very much. Yes, she had a tough childhood, but it
didn't appear that she had risen above it. I wish she would have been
a stronger character.

Lynette
Sowell is the award winning author of five novels and six
novellas. She was voted one of the favorite new authors by Heartsong
Presents book club readers. She was also a finalist in ACFW's 2010
Carol Awards. When she is not writing her novels she edits medical
reports and writes for the Copperas Cove Leader-Press. She and her
husband live in Texas. Join her on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/lynettesowellauthor.

Abingdon
Press, 240 pages.

I
received a complimentary copy of this book through Litfuse Publicity
Group for the purpose of this review.

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About Me

I am a retired Christian bookstore owner of 33 years. I still love books and read as many as I can, blogging my reviews. I have also taken up photography and sell photos of Whidbey Island and nearby landscapes.